Alex Bowler acquired world rights directly from the authors, with the book scheduled for publication on 28th September 2023. The publisher says it will contain “all the nonsense jokes, off-the-wall trivia and occasional insightful remarks that draw in millions of listeners to the podcast every month". On the podcast today; the panel react to Jordan Henderson’s first interview since joining Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia – he spoke to David Ornstein and Adam Crafton of The Athletic.

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I wasn’t sure this book was going to be any good, but I didn’t want to not be involved in case it was. I hadn’t seen it until Dr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours brought his copy to the pub and it turns out it’s way better than I thought it would be. I look forward to sitting behind a desk at the live tour ready to sign thousands of copies while people walk straight past me and go to the bar/ask Barry for a selfie.” Join our chair, football commentator and journalist Robyn Cowen, as she invites Rushden, Glendenning and Wilson to talk about their book in this special livestreamed event. When will football price itself out of reach of the true fans who support and breathe the game every moment while financiers play with monopoly-type wages and transfer fees? Avi Should a fan’s right to support their football team be dependent upon that club’s ownership? Does Newcastle’s ownership by the Saudi Investment Fund make me morally obliged to stop cheering for them? Can we just accept that our club is our club, regardless of who are running the show? Michael Mand

Plus they’re joined by Wales' premier football fan Elis James in this pre-tournament extravaganza. Unfortunately for Lars Sivertsen Norway failed to qualify but it's always nice to have him around anyway. I find the accusations from some that we would cover it differently if it was another club – that this is an anti-Newcastle thing – really frustrating. The media isn’t a monolith. I can’t speak for anyone else but we would do the same if it was Spurs, Stevenage or Shrewsbury Town. A woman plays tennis in an empty car park at the Vitality Stadium. Photograph: Kieran Cleeves/PA Madejski Stadium/Select Car Leasing Stadium, Reading

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Max: In goal: funnel web spider. Two holders (possum and kangaroo), lazy but enigmatic koala in the No 10 role, with a great white up front. I’m not sure Baz can provide anything against that. How do you marry the recent anti-gambling rhetoric in the paper and podcast with the constant talk about cheeky bets from Barry? Don’t you feel you should have also held your hands up as part of the problem? John Max: We do. At least I hope we do. As far as I know the audience is 50% UK and 50% worldwide, so we would love to go to as many places as we can. We could do east coast, west coast and then pop to Sydney, finish in Melbourne and then all make our own way home. I’ve just moved to London from Dublin. Which pubs do you recommend to watch football in? I’m living out west but happy to travel further, especially when meeting friends. Robert Walsh Max: Producer Joel and I spend about three minutes after the odd pod: we say the same names to each other and then try to remember people we haven’t asked for ages. The only thing we’ve consciously done in the last five years is get more women and greater diversity on the pod. We can always do better but I think we do a pretty good job of that. I don’t think there’s a better variety and quality of panelists anywhere else across football broadcasting and it makes my life very easy.

Congratulations on your new book, Max and Barry. What are your favourite books about football? And your favourite books in general? Matej Barry: Republic of Ireland 1-0 England at Euro 88. A terrible, nerve-shredding game but a great result and arguably the happiest I’ve ever been after a football match. After 17 years of success in audio, the book sees a debut for the boys in paper format, in a book that contains all the usual nonsense jokes, trivia and unparalleled analysis that draws in millions of listeners every month. As a bonus, readers will also find Max and Barry declaring their love for one another on a Guardian Blind Date. Max: I find this such a difficult question to answer – and I wrestle with how much we cover it on the pod. I wonder if we’ve sometimes been tougher on Newcastle than Manchester City for example, perhaps as a result of not really understanding sportswashing in the early days when City were taken over (or the fact simply that the Newcastle takeover happened on my watch on the pod) – and then sometimes I think it’s really simple and we’re not tough enough. There were a couple of options for those heading to the Madejski from Junction 11 of the M4 in 2005. Photograph: Rob Read/Alamy Adams Park Stadium, Wycombe Wanderers